The Scoop

For the last 7 years, November has been the time when the annual A Hundred Hands Collective hits town. A Hundred Hands Collective is a bright, joyous bazaar with a very Bangalorean personality. You can buy functional art pieces from artisans across India and eat yummy food made by the city’s famous home chefs. Bonus! You can complete your Christmas gift shopping too.

The Style

A Hundred Hands is a platform for artists and craftspersons to interact with discerning patrons and sell directly to them. The collective, started by Mala and Sonia Dhawan from their charming front lawn, has grown to include a few 100 members. Membership is exclusive to artists and NGOs supporting artisans — the idea being to support those who work with their hands and create magic! All proceeds from sales go directly to the craftspeople.

What We Love

This year, A Hundred Hands’s special plan includes the ‘ME to WE’ project. A voluntary initiative for artists from different parts of the country, working on different mediums, the collaborations have some stunning outcomes. The craftspersons interact with others and evolve their styles. Traditional craft workers gain an understanding of the needs of the contemporary market, while staying true to the ethos of their craft.

There are 50 collaborators in the ME to WE project this year. You can expect handmade dhurries with Ajrakh prints, terracotta pots with Kerala murals, Bastar rain sticks with Kali Ghatti art, and much more. Besides these collaborators, a number of the usual members of A Hundred Hands will be around too. Some of the cool collaborations we are looking forward to include papier mache and crochet jewellery by Aranya Earth Craft, Delhi and Samoolam a crochet group empowering underprivileged women, Susan of A Sunny Disposition and Chirtrika Handloom Weaving for contemporary handmade handbags. Recycled denim from old jeans from The Denim Project by A Hundred Hands have been made into a first-of-its-kind denim juttis by Ravi Gehlot & family, traditional jutti wallahs from Haryana.

What’s more? There are 47 other such stories to be explored.

Who Is It For

Everyone! That discerning person who loves all things artisan. The little ones can also get hands on experience with cool crafts and skills by participating in the special workshops that run through the five days.